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Robert Baratheon (GoT)
281 AC; his death 298 AC) |Children = Trueborn children: Daveth Baratheon ---- Bastard children: Gendry {Barra} 17 other bastard children Legal children, fathered by Jaime Lannister: {Joffrey Baratheon} {Myrcella Baratheon} {Tommen Baratheon} |Siblings = {Stannis Baratheon} {Renly Baratheon} |Family = {Orys Baratheon} - ancestor {Ormund Baratheon} - paternal grandfather {Rhaelle Targaryen} - paternal grandmother {Steffon Baratheon} - father {Cassana Estermont} - mother Cersei Lannister - wife Daveth Baratheon - son {Joffrey Baratheon} - legal son (fathered by Jaime Lannister) {Myrcella Baratheon} - legal daughter (fathered by Jaime Lannister) {Tommen Baratheon} - legal son (fathered by Jaime Lannister) Gendry - bastard son {Barra} - bastard daughter {17 other bastard children} {Stannis Baratheon} - brother {Renly Baratheon} - brother {Tywin Lannister} - father-in-law Jaime Lannister - brother-in-law Tyrion Lannister - brother-in-law Sansa Stark - daughter-in-law {Selyse Florent} - sister-in-law {Shireen Baratheon} - niece {Margaery Tyrell} - sister-in-law/daughter-in-law Lyonel Baratheon - grandson Cassana Baratheon - granddaughter }} King Robert I Baratheon was the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms and first king of the Baratheon dynasty to sit on the Iron Throne, formally styled as Robert of the House Baratheon, the First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm. Robert, a great warrior and charismatic man in his youth, took the Iron Throne through conquest in the war known as Robert's Rebellion, which began when the Prince of Dragonstone, Rhaegar Targaryen, allegedly abducted Robert's betrothed, Lyanna Stark. Killing Rhaegar at the Battle of the Trident, his climactic duel turned the tides of the war in his favor. After the war and following Lyanna's death, Robert married Cersei Lannister to cement an alliance with House Lannister to hold the kingdoms together, but the marriage was loveless. Robert also had two younger brothers, Stannis and Renly. He and Cersei have four children: Daveth, Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen. However, unbeknownst to Robert and most of the realm, only Daveth was their trueborn son as the other three were actually fathered by Cersei's twin brother, Jaime Lannister. On the other hand, Robert had many bastards from other women, including Gendry and Barra. Biography Background Robert was the first son of Steffon Baratheon and Cassana Estermont, and has two younger brothers, Stannis and Renly. Steffon was the head of House Baratheon and Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. The Stormlands are one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms and House Baratheon is one of the Great Houses of the realm. His parents died in his youth when their ship was caught in a storm; Robert, standing on the walls of Storm's End with Stannis, witnessed his parents ship that was returning from Essos break up on the rocks. He inherited the lordship, and was fostered by Jon Arryn, the head of House Arryn, another Great House. Eddard Stark, the second son of House Stark, was also fostered by Jon Arryn and Robert and Eddard became as close as brothers."Winter is Coming" Robert served King Aerys II Targaryen (known as the Mad King) as the Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. Robert was betrothed to Lyanna Stark, Eddard's sister. At the time of their betrothal, Robert beat Richard Lonmouth during the tourney at Harrenhal. However, Lyanna was allegedly kidnapped by Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen.HBO viewers guide, season 2 guide to houses, House Baratheon of King's Landing - Robert Baratheon entry The Mad King had Eddard's father and brother killed for protesting against the kidnapping."Lord Snow" Their deaths sparked a massive uprising against Aerys led by Robert, Eddard and Jon Arryn. Lyanna and Aerys died during the civil war that followed. Robert claimed the Iron Throne because he started the war and killed Prince Rhaegar personally.HBO viewers guide, season 2 guide to houses, House Targaryen - Rhaegar Targaryen entry Robert also had the best claim to the throne as a result of being related to the Targaryens through his mother. The other leaders of the rebels, Jon Arryn and Eddard Stark, believed that Robert, with his claim and charismatic personality, should be king and both stood aside. However, due to Tywin Lannister brutally sacking King's Landing and Gregor Clegane murdering Elia Martell and her two children with Rhaegar in cold blood, Robert and Eddard briefly fell out over the former's refusal to make Tywin and Gregor answer for their war crimes. Robert was devastated by Lyanna's death, but was urged by Jon Arryn to marry Cersei of House Lannister, making an alliance with her father, Tywin Lannister, who had joined his cause late in the conflict and delivered the capital of King's Landing to him. He named Jon Arryn as his Hand while Eddard took his father's role as Warden of the North. Stannis fought for Robert through the war though the two brothers never loved each other."A Golden Crown""The North Remembers" Robert tells Eddard Stark "You were the brother I chose." Despite Stannis's service during the war, Robert made Renly the Lord of Storm's End following his victory. Renly was only a child during the war, so he did not fight. Stannis was made Lord of Dragonstone and served on Robert's small council as Master of Ships. Renly later joined the small council as Master of Laws.HBO viewers guide, season 2 guide to houses, House Baratheon of Dragonstone - Stannis Baratheon entryHBO viewers guide, season 2 guide to houses, House Baratheon - Renly Baratheon entry Robert has been the King of the Andals and the First Men and the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros since the end of the civil war. However, he was more interested in drinking, whoring and hunting than ruling his kingdom. He revels in the glory days of the rebellion. He leaves running the kingdom largely to his small council, led by Jon Arryn. King Robert also loves to throw events such as tournaments at which he spares no expense. Unfortunately, after seventeen years Robert's excesses have left the realm deeply in debt for a shocking six million Gold Dragons, half to House Lannister. He apparently has four children with Cersei: Daveth, Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen. Unbeknownst to Robert, only Daveth was his trueborn son as the other three were actually fathered by Cersei's twin brother Jaime Lannister."You Win or You Die" Robert has also fathered several illegitimate bastards, to whom he pays no attention. He has an unacknowledged bastard son named Gendry fathered on a tavern wench."Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things" He has an unacknowledged bastard daughter named Barra fathered on the prostitute Mhaegen."The Wolf and the Lion" He has at least four other unacknowledged bastards fathered with various women in the city of King's Landing alone. Jon Arryn began investigating the lineage of Cersei's children, comparing their appearance to Robert's lawful son and bastard offspring. He died under mysterious circumstances shortly after beginning his investigation. Robert has decided to ride north to Eddard's keep Winterfell to name him as Jon Arryn's replacement. Personality Robert Baratheon, as a young man, possessed the typical talent for warfare and leadership as his brothers, as expected of Baratheon men. He was a charismatic and fearsome military commander and a formidable warrior, shown by his famous defeat of Rhaegar Targaryen on the Trident, pending the death of Aerys Targaryen. Robert was considered a very good man at heart, and he ultimately was, but people often couldn't see this because externally he appeared to be a brutal, heavy-drinking party animal. He had a fondness for strong drinks, women, tourneys and for extravagant parties, which he heavily immersed himself in after the end of his Rebellion against the Mad King - perhaps to drown his grief over having lost Lyanna. People often commented derogatorily that he was a drunken fool, and failed sometimes to see past his powerful temper. Admittedly, however, Robert proved to be a poor peacetime ruler; a soldier more than anything else, he understood nothing about administration, frequently ignoring the sound advice his Small Council gave him. He showed some good judgement by choosing Jon Arryn and later Eddard Stark as Hand, but then unintentionally undermined their good administration with his reckless spending on luxuries and entertainments, which eventually bankrupted the Seven Kingdoms and forced him to take loans from the Iron Bank of Braavos and the Lannisters. It is worth noting that the two men he selected as Hand were two men who had been extremely close to him, whom he trusted, as opposed to men like Tywin Lannister, who would have been an extremely effective, if unapologetically ruthless Hand. Thus, Robert isn't completely prone to errors of judgement. Also, he expressed a certain amount of charisma when he met Ned's children at Winterfell, complimenting Sansa's beauty and even playfully suggesting that Bran would be a soldier. He also showed a good sense of humor in remarking that Ned had "gotten fat", before raucously laughing when Ned silently indicated that he had done too. Robert's relationship with Eddard Stark brought out the better side of Robert. Since he did not have a particular fondness or relationship with either one of his actual brothers, he considered the Stark lord a surrogate brother. Ned was the only person who could genuinely counsel Robert on any subject, and the only person he appeared to want to listen to, since he seemed extremely impatient with anybody else, especially his wife (something he didn't make any attempt to hide). Robert trusted Ned deeply and had a very strong sense of empathy and reason for him, assuring him that he only asked Ned to be Hand because he needed him - Robert openly told Ned that he was a loyal friend, showing his extreme admiration of Ned's character. In addition to this, Robert had a deep personal love for Lyanna Stark, Ned's sister, and often lamented about her death, but this lamenting often gave way to Robert intensely tirading about his hatred for the Targaryens - he called Rhaegar Targaryen a monster and scorned him as he believed that he had raped Lyanna, and even after he had vanquished Rhaegar on the Trident, his brutal hatred of the surviving Targaryens. Robert's love for Lyanna went to such a vast extent that, on their wedding night, he visited Cersei in their bed (critically drunk) and openly mistook her for Lyanna, showing that he was unable to accept that Lyanna was apart from him. It is worth noting that Robert's first priority once he arrived at Winterfell was to visit the crypts of Winterfell and pay his respects to Lyanna's tomb, even though he, his family and entourage had been riding for ages and he could have paid his respects at any time. Despite plunging into the temptations of drinking, feasting, gambling and suchlike, Robert Baratheon was not a stupid man in some respects. Even years after his climactic rebellion and his famous defeat of Rhaegar Targaryen and later the ironborn, Robert still had a sound mind when it came to military matters; he was still able to precisely recite the strategies of the Dothraki if they invaded and provided statistical arguments as to why the Dothraki, with Viserys Targaryen as the figurehead, would eventually gain the upper hand. He was also able to recognize and lament for his mistakes, and apologized to both Daveth and Joffrey that he had never been a particularly good parent. Also, on his deathbed, he begged for Eddard to help Daveth in some way that Robert himself had been unable to, and finally let go of his hatred for the Targaryens when he asked Eddard to do what he could to protect Daenerys Targaryen from being assassinated, accepting that she did not have to suffer for her father and brother's actions. Robert had a tendency for being cruel or harsh towards Jaime Lannister, referring to him personally as Kingslayer (even though it was Aerys Jaime had killed, enabling Robert to take the throne) and laughingly mocking his status as Tywin Lannister's son forced to guard his extravagant king. He also had the gall to mock Jaime's execution of the Mad King, only to be shocked into silence when Jaime coldly reminded him of Aerys's madness. Robert could be smug, and arranged for Jaime to be on guard when Robert was entertaining his whores, knowing that Jaime (closer than anyone to Cersei) would be aware that this was a vicious insult. However, Robert at least suggested out loud to Eddard Stark that he would even consider naming Jaime as Hand if Ned refused to retake the position. He was also emotionally abusive toward Cersei and had physically struck her at least once, though he did feel remorse about it, saying it wasn't a kingly thing to do. Quotes Spoken by Robert :"You've got fat." ―Robert Baratheon to Eddard Stark for the first time in nine years; Ned raises an eyebrow and nods at Robert's own massive gut, prompting the latter to burst out laughing. :"There's a war coming, Ned. I don't know when, I don't know who we'll be fighting, but it's coming." ―King Robert to Eddard Stark, foreshadowing the War of the Five Kings (and possibly worse) in a moment of clarity. :"Tell me what happened. Tell it all, and tell it true. It's a great crime to lie to a king." ―Robert questions his eldest son Daveth Baratheon and Sansa Stark as to how his second son Joffrey Baratheon was injured. :Eddard Stark: "You're too fat for your armor." Robert Baratheon: "Fat? Fat, is it?! Is that how you speak to your King?!" ―Eddard Stark to Robert Baratheon on his inability to wear his own armor. :"Stop this madness in the name of your king!" ―Robert furiously ends the showdown between Sandor Clegane and his brother Gregor. :"Honor? I've got Seven Kingdoms to rule! One king, Seven Kingdoms! Do you think honor keeps them in line? Do you think it's honor that's keeping the peace? It's fear! Fear and blood!" ―Robert Baratheon at the small council meeting about Daenerys Targaryen. :Robert Baratheon: "Backstabbing doesn't prepare you for a fight and that's all the realm is now: backstabbing and scheming and arse-licking and money-grubbing. Sometimes I don't know what holds it together." Cersei Lannister: "Our marriage?" ―Cersei Lannister and Robert Baratheon :Cersei Lannister: "What harm could Lyanna Stark's ghost do to either of us that we haven't done to each other a hundred times over?" Robert Baratheon: "You want to know the horrible truth? I can't even remember what she looked like. I only know she was the one thing I ever wanted. Someone took her away from me, and seven kingdoms couldn't fill the hole she left behind." ―Robert tells Cersei about Lyanna. :Cersei: "I shall wear this as a badge of honor." Robert: "Wear it in silence or I'll honor you again." ―Cersei Lannister and Robert Baratheon :"Killing things clears my head." ―Robert telling Eddard Stark he is going on a hunt :"I never loved my brothers. Sad thing for a man to admit, but it's true. You were the brother I chose." ―Robert Baratheon to Eddard Stark :"Put on the badge, and if you ever take it off again, I swear to the Mother, I'll pin the damn thing on Jaime Lannister." ―Robert reinstates Eddard as his Hand. :"I think you'd remember. Back in our day, you weren't a real man until you'd fucked one girl from each of the Seven Kingdoms and the Riverlands. We used to call it 'making the eight'." ―Robert to his youngest brother Renly Baratheon :"I should have spent more time with you. Shown you how to be a man. I was never meant to be a father." ―King Robert to Daveth Baratheon and Joffrey Baratheon :Robert Baratheon: "Give it to the council after I'm dead. At least they'll say I did this right, this one thing. You'll rule, now. You'll hate it worse than I did, but you'll do it well. The girl... Daenerys. You were right. Varys, Littlefinger, my brother, worthless. No one to tell me "no" but you and my son. Only you two. Let her live. Stop it, if it's not too late." Eddard Stark: "I will." Robert Baratheon: "And Daveth... my son... help him, Ned. Make him better than me." ―Robert's last conversation with Eddard. :"My memory... hehe. King Robert Baratheon... murdered by a pig. Give me something for the pain, and let me die." ―Robert Baratheon Spoken about Robert :Eddard Stark: "I will not believe Jon Arryn allowed Robert to bankrupt the Realm." Grand Master Pycelle: "Lord Arryn gave wise and prudent advice. But I fear His Grace doesn't always listen." Renly Baratheon: "Counting coppers, he calls it." Daveth Baratheon: "Father will always do whatever he wants, whenever he wants without taking our advice into consideration. Consequences be damned." ―The Small Council discuss the adverse effects of King Robert's reckless spending. :Barristan Selmy: "I hear the King wants to joust today." Eddard Stark: "Yes. That will never happen." Barristan Selmy: "Robert tends to do what he wants." Eddard Stark: "If the King got what he wanted all the time, we'd still be fighting a damned rebellion." ―Exchange between Ser Barristan Selmy and Eddard Stark. :Eddard Stark: "You've always hated him!" Cersei Lannister: "Hated him?! I worshiped him! Every girl in the Seven Kingdoms dreamed of him, but he was mine by oath. And when I finally saw him on our wedding day in the Sept of Baelor, lean and fierce and black-bearded, it was the happiest moment of my life. And that night, he crawled on top of me, stinking of wine, and did what he did what little he could do and whispered in my ear, "Lyanna." Your sister was a corpse, I was a living girl, and he loved her more than me!" ―Cersei claims she once loved Robert. :Matthos Seaworth: "And I declare on the honor of my House that my beloved brother Robert left..." Stannis Baratheon: "He wasn't my beloved brother. I didn't love him. He didn't love me." —Matthos Seaworth prepares a letter for Stannis Baratheon :Jorah Mormont: "I was very nearly the first man knighted to piss on the king's boots. Robert would have laughed." Barristan Selmy: "He was a good man, a great warrior. And a terrible king." —Ser Jorah Mormont and Ser Barristan Selmy discuss Robert :Tommen Baratheon: "What about strength?" Tywin Lannister: "Yes, strength. King Robert was strong; he won the rebellion and crushed the Targaryen dynasty. And he attended three Small Council meetings in seventeen years of ruling, and he spent his time whoring, hunting, and drinking until the last two killed him. So, we have a man who starves himself to death, a man who lets his own brother murder him, and a man who thinks winning and ruling are the same thing." —Tywin Lannister lectures Tommen Baratheon about the failings of past kings including his "father", King Robert. :"I know you don't like him. I didn't like your husband. Used to pat me on the back a lot. I didn't trust him." ―Tywin Lannister and Cersei about Robert. :"If Robert Baratheon had dared set foot in Dorne during his reign, he would have ''lost the foot, and it is not even him we blame for Elia." ―Oberyn Martell :'Lancel Lannister': "''And of course there was the king...his boar hunt...his wine." Cersei Lannister: "I don't know what you're talking about." —Lancel and Cersei discuss Robert's death. :"His sins do not pardon your own." ―High Sparrow to Cersei about Robert :"My sister married someone she loathed as well, though not by choice and certainly not for the greater good, gods forbid. She ended up having him killed." ―Tyrion to Daenerys about Cersei's marriage to Robert. :"If Robert finds out, he'll kill him. You know he will. You have to protect him. Promise me, Ned. Promise me." ―A dying Lyanna Stark begs her brother to protect her son by Rhaegar Targaryen from Robert. :"Robert was an improvement on your father to be sure. There have been few rulers in history as cruel as the Mad King. Robert was neither mad or cruel, he simply had no interest in being king." ―Varys explains why he chose to serve Robert Baratheon to Daenerys Targaryen. In the books In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Robert is in his mid-thirties when the events of the books begin. He is jovial and fun-loving, fond of battle, women, and drink. As a young man Robert was a formidable warrior, noted for his chivalry, sense of honor and immense charisma. He won several loyal Targaryen bannermen to his cause through strength of personality alone. Very tall and incredibly muscular, Robert was considered one of the most attractive men in Westeros, desired by many maidens in the realm. However, after becoming king, Robert let himself go somewhat, becoming fat, soft and indolent, though still capable of great generosity to his friends. Robert has also become more bitter following Lyanna's death and his unhappy marriage to Cersei, despite their multiple children. A great deal of people lost respect for Robert after he won the Iron Throne, dismissing him as a sot, a brute and a drunken fool, Eddard Stark being one of the few exceptions. Despite being a formidable warrior, Robert has been an indifferent jouster; during tourneys he preferred the mêlée, where he could beat men bloody with a blunt axe or a hammer. Robert's grandmother was princess Rhaelle Targaryen, the youngest daughter of Aegon V; this kinship with the Targaryens had nothing to do with Robert's becoming the king. The maesters claim the blood ties between the Baratheons and the Targaryens have given Robert the right to the Iron Throne, but he actually seized it by force. References Category:Articles by MarkRulez711 Category:House Baratheon Category:House Baratheon of King's Landing Category:Characters from the Stormlands Category:Kings of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men Category:Characters Category:Status: Dead Category:Season 1 Characters Category:Lords Paramount Category:Lords of Storm's End